Cream cheese is a simple yet sophisticated ingredient that can be used to enhance both savory and sweet dishes. Therefore, cream cheese is used in many recipes. What is cream cheese actually made of?
Most cream cheeses such as ricotta, quark or mascarpone are made from cow’s milk. In contrast to conventional types of cheese, however, these do not have to be matured additionally in order to achieve their taste and the necessary consistency. Rather, they can be consumed directly after production or used for cooking or baking. To produce cream cheese, the milk is enriched with special lactic acid bacteria. These are also used to make yogurt or cream. Some cream cheeses also contain rennet, which is also added during production. Due to its high water content, cream cheese usually does not keep very long and should therefore be eaten quickly or used for other purposes. After opening, you can use cream cheese from the supermarketContinue to use for about 1 week.
What types of cream cheese are there?
The differences are usually in the respective consistency, which in turn is influenced by the fat content. Cream cheese is all the creamier, the more fat it contains. If you subtract the water it contains, cream cheese has a fat content of around 60 percent in dry matter. The so-called cottage cheese is considered to be a particularly low-fat type of cream cheese. It contains only 20 percent fat in dry matter. Tasty additives such as beetroot, herbs, salmon or other ingredients are added to the actual cheese mass. The cream cheese tastes delicious on bread or as a dip for chips or crackers. In addition to the well-known types of cream cheese such as ricotta, mascarpone, quark and layered or cottage cheese, mozzarella also belongs to this food group. Like cream cheese, mozzarella does not have to mature, but is produced directly. However, it is scalded during preparation, which results in a much firmer consistency than other types of cream cheese. As a result, it is often mistakenly assigned to cheese, but mozzarella is actually a type of cream cheese.
Double cream cheese differs from ordinary cream cheese in terms of the fat content in the dry matter. With double cream cheese, this is around 60 to 75 percent, which is significantly higher than with conventional cream cheese. Because of this, double cream cheese is particularly popular for the preparation of sauces or dips or for baking.
Hearty dishes with cream cheese
Cream cheese is often used in savory cuisine when it comes to flavoring dishes such as sauces and giving them a creamy consistency. Cream cheese is also very easy to use to make a delicious casserole. It is mixed with eggs and breadcrumbs and poured over the contents of a casserole. After a few minutes in the oven, the tasty and flavorful dish is already ready! Cream cheese is also great as a filling for homemade pasta. Ricotta is usually used for this, but other types of cream cheese are also conceivable. The self-filled pasta tastes delicious if other ingredients such as spinach, parmesan or garlic are used in addition to cream cheese. The light and flavorful cottage cheese tastes particularly good as an accompaniment to salads. In addition, there are numerous recipes and cooking suggestions that contain cream cheese. The versatile ingredient goes down well everywhere and goes well with most hearty dishes.
Delicious desserts with cream cheese
Cream cheese is also very popular in baking and the production of desserts and sweets. It is particularly important for the preparation of cheesecake, as it is one of the main ingredients. Another famous example where cream cheese takes center stage is the Italian dessert tiramisu. You need a lot of mascarpone for this. Other recipes that contain cream cheese are quark dishes of all kinds or even sliced cakes that contain a cream cheese filling. The cream cheese tastes just as good sweetened as it is flavored with salt, pepper or herbs.
Make cream cheese yourself
The preparation of cream cheese is also possible by hand. To do this, milk is heated over low heat on the stove without boiling it. Lemon juice is gradually added while stirring until the milk begins to thicken. The curdled milk is then poured into a cloth that lies in the sink or in a saucepan on a sieve. The so-called whey flows off and the cream cheese can be eaten or further processed after careful expression. If that is too time-consuming for you, you can use high-quality cream cheese from the refrigerated section in the supermarket. This too can be transformed into a delicious snack in just a few simple steps. For example, the cream cheese can be refined with your own spices, herbs or diced tomatoes and used as a spread.
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